Dependently Independent
by Yami's Tenshi
Summary: *song fic* Mai finally admits to herself that she's in love. Looking back on their friendship, she wonders how she'll ever tell him. (Joey/Mai)


Dependently Independent  
  
Rating: PG (not that bad, but has some "deep" thought) Genre: Romance (Mai/Joey)  
  
Tenshi: Hi everybody, Tenshi here! I know I said I would make this into a series, but I like them better on their own. (Easier to write.) So, anyway, I decided to do this first before anyone else got the idea. Kerra: Actually, Tenshi, that was pretty smart of you. Tenshi: Thank you! Yugi: Are we in this fanfic? Tenshi: I'm sorry, Yugi, but not really. Yugi: Darn. Tenshi: But you're mentioned! Yami: I'm never in any of your fanfics! Kerra: *gives a gasp of horror* Tenshi! He's right! How could you do this to me?! Deny Yami the simple honor of being in your fanfics! Yugi, Yami: 0_0 Tenshi: Hey, I'm trying! I'm just scared that I'll make Yami out into a total moron! Kerra: Yami is not a moron! Tenshi: I didn't say that! Oi! Yugi, can you just read the disclaimer? Yugi: Sure! Disclaimer: Yami's Tenshi does not own 'Yugioh!'. Ownership of 'Yugioh!' belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. Not Tenshi. Also, the song 'Miss Independent does not belong to Tenshi. 'Miss Independent is sung by Kelly Clarkson and ownership of the song and its lyrics belongs to an unknown person. Tenshi just owns the plot (sort of) and the title, nothing more. Also, Tenshi would like me to warn you that there are a few (possible) spoilers, so be careful of what you read. Also, please do not sue. Thank you. Tenshi: Cute! *hugs Yugi* Anyway, read and enjoy, people!  
  
Dependently Independent: Songfic of 'Miss Independent'  
  
There had never been a time when Mai Valentine had not been independent. All through various parts of her life she has proven that she has needed no one. Whether to someone else or to herself. And being an independent girl had proven to mean never needing anyone. Especially a male someone. Oh, sure she had had numerous boyfriends. Ones she had gone out to dinner with if only to get a free meal. Or to see a free movie. Or to get free stuff. But she had never cared about any of them in particular. She never showed any signs of perceptibility besides telling them good-bye the next day and waving them off. All were just big, strong, masculine types with no brains whatsoever. And after seeing so much of one stereotype, Mai denounced all faith in 'love'. Hmph! Such a silly little fairy-tail!  
  
Miss Independent Miss self-sufficient Miss keep your distance Miss unafraid Miss out of my way Miss don't let a man interfere, no Miss on her own Miss almost grown Miss never let a man help her off her throne  
  
Then came her big break- Duelist Kingdom. Anybody who was considered anybody by Maxmillion [1] Pegasus was invited. Hah! She had had a hunch learning all those dueling tricks would have come in handy. Mai had creamed competition after competition, loser after loser. No one could stand in her way. And her was her chance to win three million dollars! The life of riches and luxury were practically calling out to her! That's when she had met them. The first two she would meet that would change her life permanently. Especially him. Of course, she had paid him no mind at first. The one that had caught her attention had been Yugi Moto. By now, every duelist, amateur or pro, knew who Yugi Moto was. The kid that had beaten that hot-shot, Seto Kaiba, and the only one that could possibly stand in her way to glory. Of course, during the introductions, he [2] had to but in. Hmph. Joey Wheeler. She had thought it fitting that such an idiotic name would belong to such an obviously stupid guy.  
  
So, by keeping her heart protected She'd never ever feel rejected  
  
But everything had somehow changed once they landed on an island. Joey, as ironic as it seemed, had been the first duelist to figure out her scheme and then go on to win. Of course, Mai wouldn't take it lying down. Charming Rex (again) into being such a stupid pawn, she had almost claimed revenge against the "Great Joey Wheeler". But the little turd still won! She didn't get it.  
  
Little miss apprehensive  
  
After Yugi and Joey returned her star chips after they had been stolen [3], she started reconsidering her ways of dueling. Even her way of life. Letting Tea beat her had been proof of that. True, losing to Yugi in the finals had been a hard hit, but even then Mai saw herself retraining herself in Duel Monsters. She had given it her all and somehow she felt a sense of contentment with that. But Joey had been wrong when he had said that the only way he had come so far was because of his friends [4]. She had to concede that friendship had been a big part, but... There was a fire in those auburn eyes that shone determination. A fire that both fascinated her and frightened her. But the thought of that flame going out frightened her more. Not letting Joey give up on himself, she helped him in his duel against Bandit Keith and had even reluctantly admitted that the two of them  
  
had became friends. Friends. Yeah right.  
  
Said ooh, she fell in love  
  
Mai had grown far too use to being confident and in control. For now she was confused and the only thing she had figured out was that she didn't like it. And that it all had something to do with a certain Joey Wheeler. She became furious with herself. Becoming confused over a guy? This had gone to far! Telling herself that she was being silly, she told herself that Joey barely even registered as her friend. Slowly, she began to calm down a bit. In order to do so, she had to stop denying everything and accept some truth. Okay. Truth- Joey Wheeler had obtained the impossible: her respect and her friendship. Truth- Joey managed to make her feel irritated, annoyed, sad, happy, prideful and all in the same minute! Okay girl. Something's going on with this guy. Truth was, Mai caught herself considering more than "friends".. Whoah, now! She was letting down her guard down and letting this whole new moral issue go way out of bounds. Oi. She needed some ice cream.  
  
What is this feeling taking over? Thinking no one could open my door Surprise, it's time To feel what's real What happened to Miss Independent? No longer need to be defensive Goodbye, old you When love (when love) is true  
  
So Mai did what any normal, confused, teenage girl would do- she entirely ignored the whole crisis. Psychiatrists would tell anyone that Mai was simply withdrawing into the safety of the deep chambers of her mind to continue acting without conscience of trouble or problem. Translation: denial. To everyone around here, Mai Valentine was being Mai Valentine. Why, she was sure that if she ever saw Yugi and his friends again, they wouldn't even recognize her. So take that, Joey Wheeler! Mai continued on with her life, firmly convinced that she had already properly dealt with the issue.  
  
Miss guarded heart Miss play it smart Miss if you want to use that line you better not start, no  
  
But, alas, it did not working. After, surprisingly, meeting up with Joey, Yugi, and Mokuba in Dueling World [5], she realized that not only had she failed in getting rid of the "problem". In a wild moment of insanity, she had wanted to call those five dimwits that had hired her and verbally strangle them! This had not been in her resume! But then, when they (Seto, Mokuba, Yugi, Joey, and herself) had been facing off against the Legendary Dragon [6], Joey had had his Red Eyes Black Dragon take a hit for Mokuba (which Mai had to admit was both was immensely admirable and insanely stupid) hence wiping out the rest of his life points and, to put gently, erased him from the game. It was at the moment that he was gone that she started to realize that the great big idiot [7] meant a lot more to her than she had been willing to admit. And she realized that not only had she failed to solve her "problem" but it had gotten worse. Go figure. It had been a great miracle when Joey (and her) had been revived at the end of the adventure. But still that feeling nagged her.  
  
But she miscalculated She didn't want to end up jaded  
  
Now came Battle City. Another chance for her to prove herself a great duelist. But this Mai Valentine had done a complete 180. Now, not only had her dueling skills changed, but her relationships with Yugi and his friends and her attitude in life. Give or take a few cocky, sarcastic remarks. But life couldn't have just let her play in the tournament and win. Noooo. She had to become a sort of pawn in some psycho's (who she later learned was named Marik). Something abut world domination or something. Whatever. He had set her up as an offering to some higher power [8]. And he took all the memories of her friends, her own precious, few, friends away from her. One by one. When Joey and the others had shown up, she hadn't even known who he was. All she knew was that some (very cute) blonde guy was standing in front of her, yelling abut him knowing her or something. She had barely snapped out of it when the sacrifice had started. Suddenly, she remembered everything. Every happy memory of her friends. Only to see a bright red light coming straight for her to end her life and in return probably put the world in the hands of a guy who couldn't even brush his hair right [9]. How typical. What took completely by surprise was when Joey didn't budge, instead covering Mai with his own body to shield the blast. She wasn't too sure what happened after that [10]. All that was known was that she had fainted, but she and Joey were still alive and Yugi had somehow taken care of the problem. What followed afterwards, was a whole series of duels of the psycho and Yugi. Who, by the way, had started acting really strangely whenever he dueled. Like his voice deepening and him suddenly growing a foot [11]. Anyway, Yugi had won (hooray) and all was well. Well, almost. Okay, not quite. For, Mai had finally figured out what had been bothering abut Joey about all this time. In fact, it was something she had known all along. She was in love. She, Mai Valentine, had fallen in love, with Joey Wheeler. And she had accepted it. Oh, pigs were flying now!  
  
And this miss decided not to miss out on true love So, by changing her misconceptions She went in a new direction And found inside she felt a connection She fell in love  
  
Now is the time, as is typical in almost all romance novels, where the fair-maiden (Mai) starts to fear how her night in shining armor (Joey?) might respond to her feelings. It felt so obvious to her. While it was true that Joey was a bit of a moron, he was still a fairly handsome boy and the personality that could charm (almost) any girl. So, why of all choices, would he pick her? The one that was known for starting more fights and calling him more names then even Seto Kaiba. Which was really quite a feat, considering the CEO and the duelist argued. The point was that she had a million to one chance. In other words, she may as well buy a lottery ticket because she'd win that million dollar prize before she won Joey's heart. How ironic. The girl that had grown up without needing anybody now could not live without the one boy that could indeed live without her.  
  
What is this feeling taking over? Thinking no one could open my door Surprise, it's time To feel what's real What happened to Miss Independent? No longer need to be defensive Good-bye old you When love (when love) is true  
  
Walking down the street, Mai pulled on the stubborn zipper, trying to get some more heat from the blustery day. Shoving her hands into her pocket, she gave an uncharacteristic sigh of defeat. She had decided not too long ago that she might as well tell Joey how she felt. There was no way she could get more broken-hearted then she was now. Now if only she could find him. Looking up, she checked her surroundings. Oh, look at that. She was at the other side town then Joey was at. Now what were the chances of that? Okay, okay, she was nervous and was now avoiding him. Cut the girl some slack. She was only professing her love to her potential soul mate that could end up breaking her heart for all of eternity or at least half that long. No pressure. Suddenly, she stopped dead.  
  
No way.  
  
No way on earth was he here.  
  
She closed here eyes and pinched herself. Giving out a little yelp, she opened her eyes to find only dismay. He was really there.  
  
Joey Wheeler, who was currently giving her a weird look for just seeing her jump into the air with a yelp and was now blushing like crazy.  
  
Great.  
  
'Hello God,' she thought. 'Why don't you just strike me down now? It would really help me out.'  
  
"Mai?" Joey asked, making her eyes refocus onto big, auburn eyes. Jumping back, Mai thought, 'Too close!' Her heart was beating too fast. 'I'm not ready!' So, she responded the only way she could.  
  
"Watch what you're doin', Joey!" Mai clenched her fists, hoping that anger would be made a reason for her blush. "Sneaking up on a lady like that! The nerve!"  
  
Joey was clearly taken back, but wasted no time in continuing the argument. "What are ya talkin' 'bout?'" his own fists clenched at his sides. "I didn't sneak up on you! Alto, it was probably wishful tinkin' on your part!"  
  
"Wishful thinking? Ha! You wish! Besides, who can't help but be scared when they see a face like that!"  
  
"Well, hate ta break it ta ya sweet heart, but ya ain't no Aprokrite!" [12]  
  
"It's Aphrodite, moron! And I bet you don't even know who see is!"  
  
"Do too! I know more tan you do at least!"  
  
"Yeah right! You're nothing but a moron!"  
  
"Witch!"  
  
"Jerk!"  
  
"Psycho!"  
  
"Moron!"  
"Stupid face!"  
  
"Well, guess what?!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I love you!"  
  
When Miss Independent walked away No time for love that cam her way She looked in the mirror and thought today What happened to miss no longer afraid? It took some time for her to see How beautiful love could truly be No more talk of why can't that be me I'm so glad I finally see  
  
"I love you, too!" [13]  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Just don't expect me to be some lovey-dovey boyfriend, cause guess what? I don't like that mushy stuff!"  
  
"That's fine with me!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"And don't expect me to baby you, cause I'm an independent gal and I don't like waiting on the male species!"  
  
"Oh yeah?!"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Well, guess what!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I'm taking you to a movie and you're gonna come!"  
  
"Oh yeah?!"  
  
"Yeah! And I'm gonna pick you up at eight!"  
  
"Ha! Shows how much you know! I'll be ready at seven-thirty!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
And both stomped off in opposite directions.  
  
What is this feeling taking over? Thinking no one could open my door Surprise, it's time To feel what's real What happened to Miss Independent? No longer need to be defensive Good-bye, old you When love (when love) is true  
  
Mai felt giddy all the way back to the apartment. Okay, so that didn't go exactly go as she planned. She wondered if she had looked as big an idiot as she had felt out there. Mai gave a small frown, but then smiled and felt so happy she wanted to throw her hands in the air. Who cared if she looked like a fool? Joey Wheeler loved her! She was SO happy! Charging into her apartment, she stopped suddenly. Did Joey even know where she lived? Uh oh. Picking up the phone, she dialed a phone number while shaking her head. Hearing a response on the other end, she started talking.  
  
"Hey Yugi? It's Mai! Listen I need a favor! It's a little problem about Joey...."  
  
Miss Independent...  
  
Fin*  
  
Tenshi: Well, there you go! Yami, Yugi, Kerra: 0_0 *hear crickets* Tenshi: Guys? Did you like it? Yami, Yugi, Kerra: Um.. Kerra: It was... Yami: odd. Kerra: *turns to Yami* "odd" is a good word for it. Tenshi: *doesn't get it* What's the matter with it? Kerra & Yami: Uh.. *push Yugi forward* Yugi: Hey! *looks at Tenshi, who's looking at him expectantly* It was good Tenshi. It's just, well, you ended it a bit oddly. Tenshi: I know. I didn't plan that, but I thought it was sweet. ^_^  
  
Kerra: Are you TRYING to scare the readers away?!  
  
Tenshi; Hey, I actually thought I did a good job! Hmph! You people don't appreciate good writing anymore. *looks at Yugi* Yugi? Will you tell the nice reviewers to, um, review. Yugi: Okay. *uses puppy eyes* Please review. Tenshi: CUTE!! *hugs Yugi* Yami: She really scares me. Kerra: Tell me about it.' Yami: How do you live with her? Kerra: I don't. Tenshi: *ignoring Kerra and Yami* Thanks for reading everybody! Please review! Thank you! *hugs Yugi again* CUTE!!  
  
Key~ [1]- Does anybody know how to spell his name? [2]- If you don't know who 'he' is, you're reading the wrong story. [3]- I know that isn't the way it happened, but I had to make it work with the song. [4]- Guess who's been watching WAY too many 'Duelist Kingdom' reruns? ^_^" [5]- Does anybody know what that was called? I don't remember! [6]- Don't remember what it's called. Hope I'm right! [7]- Don't you just LOVE her nicknames? [8]- Okay, this is where the "spoilers" come in. I just found most of this stuff out from the internet. I think I got most of it right. [9]- Sorry to all Malik/Marik fans! Remember, this is kind of from Mai's point of view so... [10]- More like I don't remember what happened after that. [11]- Sorry. I just think it's REALLY stupid how nobody notices that Yugi changes into Yami. You'd think it be kinda noticeable when your friend just, oh, GROWS A FOOT!! [12]- It is really hard to type like Joey talks. (did that make sense? 0_0) [13]- Does anyone else notice that the couples in my story all get together in REALLY weird ways? *Yugi, Yami, Kerra raise their hands*  
  
Well, that about does it. PLEASE review!! Pretty, pretty please! Until next time, C'ya! ^_^ 


End file.
